“Yep, that’s what they said,” Bryce replied.
“Well that’s interesting, why would there be anybody stationed at a National Guard training facility?” Logan asked him.
“That’s because it’s not really a National Guard training facility. It’s a gigantic ammunition depot. It supposed to be quasi secret, but back in my day, I was in the know. There’s hundreds of underground bunkers full of munitions, and it’s the perfect place to hole up during the apocalypse,” Bryce said.
“It’s not really a base, though. Unless they added additional defenses, it wouldn’t make a very good defensible location,” Logan explained.
Bryce thought about that for a second and then said, “Maybe they just set up there because of the readily available ammunition and figured out the defenses later.”
Bryce continued, “I mean it makes sense, it is right next to Flagstaff, and they could use that as a staging ground and housing area if need be.”
Logan thought about that and then replied, “I suppose that’s why they set up Flagstaff as one of the original safe zones.”
“You don’t think that they kept it together this entire time do you? I mean it’s been over two months now,” Logan said.
“Who knows, if they got organized quickly enough, and supplies weren’t an issue…” Bryce said as his voice trailed off.
“Do you think we should check it out?” Bryce asked his second.
“I’m not sure. It may very well be a trap that some goons have put together to lure people in,” Logan said with much suspicion.
“Maybe we could just go check it out, I mean it’s less than three hours from here, even if we take the back roads and stay off the highways as much as we can,” Bryce said.
“It’s your call, Bryce,” Logan told him.
Bryce thought long and hard, and in the end he decided that it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. If they could find a large group of survivors or even true military personnel, it could tremendously help his cause. Bryce would not want to join their group, of course. He would mainly try and expand his own colony, and maybe siphon off some munitions. He figured that an army supply depot would be a good friend to have.
Bryce decided to get everyone rounded up so that he could explain the plan to them.
A little while later, everyone was assembled in the general area between the compound buildings and Bryce explained his plan. It was met with mixed feelings mostly, but in the end they all let him make the decision. Bryce told them that he wanted two vehicles ready to go in an hour, because he planned to make the trip today.
Bryce wanted to take four members of Bravo team, and his command team, except for Colonel Bradley. He told the guys to bring extra ammo, food, water, and a few of their tents just in case they did not make it back tonight.
The hour went by, and everyone was packed up and ready to go. They loaded up in their vehicles, said their goodbyes to their families, and got on the road. They stuck to the highways and stayed off the interstates. The drive turned into a long journey as hour after hour went by. They passed countless numbers of burned-out vehicles, riddled with bullet holes, and some still occupied by infected. There were numerous deposits of dead infected along the way that had been thrown into piles to rot.
Bryce wanted to take the smaller highways to avoid all this, but it appeared that in the mass exodus from the Phoenix-Metropolitan area, all roads looked the same.
Around midday, their two-vehicle caravan was finally on the approach into Flagstaff. Ahead of them laid a wasteland of burned-out homes, buildings, and cars. The city of over one hundred thousand people had quickly descended into chaos with the onset of the Outbreak, and the damage was catastrophic. There was litter and refuse everywhere, and a surreal amount of corpses. Bryce tried to make an estimate in his head at one point as to how many dead bodies there were, but it just made his mind spin. The gruesome stench flooded right into the cabins of their trucks, and it made Bryce think that they should have some sort of hazmat setup for situations like this.
There were school buses lined up on the sides of the highway that headed into Flagstaff and piles of abandoned personal effects all around the buses.
This was not what Bryce had expected at all. He thought that the military and the government agencies were going to protect Flagstaff. They had even called it a safe zone!
It appeared that nowhere was safe any longer.
The two groups stopped their vehicles just on the outskirts of the city and got out. The other group members walked up to Bryce and asked him how he wanted to continue. They would still have to cross right through the middle of the city to get to the Army depot on the other side.
Bryce looked around, took in the grotesque sights, and chuckled to himself.
When they asked him what was so funny, he replied, “This day marks a new beginning for our Compounds. We now know with certainty that we are alone, outnumbered by infected, and on our own for surviving this mess.”
Without saying anything else, Bryce got back in the truck and sat down to wait for Logan. When Logan got back in the vehicle, Bryce had a grin on his face that made Logan feel unsettled.
Bryce looked at Logan for a second and said, “Drive us through the gates of hell, Logan, and when we get to the other side, I hope it was worth the drive.”
A Word from the Author
Thank you for taking the time to read The Extinction Pandemic! This series has been the most amazing journey for me, and I’m so glad that I was able to share it with you.
I would like to take a moment to recognize the people who helped make this book a success.
First off I have to thank my wife for supporting me through this entire process. For taking care of the kids and allowing me the time necessary to write a new series, and most of all for believing in me.
Next, to my awesome team of friends who have helped me through so much of this process. Alika Colipano for helping me with so many tasks, like the Bryce inspiration, naming conventions, storyline assistance, website ideas, survival expertise and so much more. JD Dutra for giving me great ideas at how to get the books out there! Lori Caraballo for her radio show Prepper Chicks After Dark, and for so much excellent survival expertise. G. Michael Hopf for his amazing input in how to actually be a writer!
To my editors Abigail M. and J. Scott Wilson. Without them this book would be a complete train wreck! Writers are so great at telling stories, but it’s the editors who make it readable!
Lastly, I would like to thank my fans. Without the fans, I wouldn’t have recreated this series to make it so much better. These fans of the original series inspired me to continue this journey, and I thank each and every one of you out there.
I absolutely love hearing feedback from my readers. It helps be become a better author, and to create better novels.
For more information about the series, the people who helped make this book happen, or to leave a comment about the series please visit www.thcseries.com
Roster of Hatchery Compound Survivors
Command Team
Commander Bryce Sloan
Lieutenant Commander Logan Bartlett
Colonel Cliff Bradley
Mitch Steeple
Gloria Steeple
Robby Bartlett
Jessica Owens
Alpha Team
Lieutenant Trevor Steele
Sergeant Anthony Smith
Corporal Jose Gomez
Corporal Nathan Jenkins
Bravo Team
Lieutenant Quinton Grymes
Joey Allen
Jade Allen
Nick Bark
Evan Spader
Freddie Grymes
Nelson Brooks
Cody Brooks
Medical
Benjamin Sloan
Christine Bartlett
Construction
Gregory Roberts
Harry Steeple
Henry Steeple
Maintenance
Jerry Cambridge
> Victoria Sloan
Trystan Sloan
Missy Steeple
Emily Steeple
Riley Steeple
Rebecca Bartlett
Sarah and Timothy Bartlett
Agriculture
Cindy Roberts
Pastor Luke Abrams
Pastor Amanda Abrams
Johnny Chandler
Jacob Chandler
Sophia Perkins
Ethan Reeves
Olivia Bridges
Dana Grymes
Austin Grymes
Jackie Grymes
Catherine Brooks
Jessie Brooks
Claire Brooks
The Extinction Pandemic: A Post Apocalyptic Novel (The Hatchery Compound Book 1) Page 31
